About Self-Guided Vacations

Bicycles and Equipment

We believe that the bicycle you ride will be a critical factor in how much you enjoy your trip with Randonnée, which is why we continue to invest in the best, most suitable bikes for the trips we offer. We have the largest number of bike and equipment depots of European & North American tour operators because we believe in storing our bikes locally, which saves us the expense of crisscrossing countries delivering bikes. Our objective is simple: no matter where you go, to offer you a high-quality, reliable, light and comfortable bicycle.

The vast majority of our fleet is composed of Cannondale and custom Randonnée bikes. You can choose between performance hybrid bikes with flat handlebar or road bikes with dropped handlebar. On our Camino de Santiago trips only, we offer Cannondale mountain bikes with lockable front suspension and hydraulic disc brakes. We have selected the specs of our bikes carefully to ensure that you will enjoy long days cruising along the Danube River, challenging yourself on the Mont-Ventoux climbs or drafting locals on the rolling hills of Catalonia. For your comfort and peace of mind, our dedicated team of mechanics and area managers will ensure that your bike is perfectly tuned and adjusted for you. We provide all the accessories needed to repair a puncture and make small adjustments along the way. If, at any time you need assistance, our support is just a phone call away.

We always recommend that you choose what you are used to and comfortable with. If road bikes with dropped handlebar and clip-in pedals are new for you and tempting, try them on short rides at home to get used to the position and feel.

This kit will be provided during the bike fitting and will be directly transferred with your luggage during the trip in a Randonnée bag.

WATER BOTTLE

A Randonnée water bottle will be sent to you with your final package before the tour starts.

HANDLEBAR BAG

Most of our handlebar bags are Vaude Road II. They have a volume of nine liters (21 x 27 x 17 cm) and offer enough storage space for personal items, compact camera, wallet, cell phone, snacks, and a compact wind jacket. We strongly believe that traveling light make the rides and explorations more enjoyable. If you feel like the handlebar bag is not enough, you are free to bring and ride with a backpack or panniers.

SEATS

Like those on most mountain bikes, hybrid bike seats are not as thin and hard as those on road bikes and not as wide and thick as seats on city bikes. During the bike fitting if you feel like the seat is too firm, inform the Area Manager. We have spare extra comfort seats at all our depots. If you are particular about your bike seat and wish to bring it along, don’t hesitate to do so! If you do bring your own seat, do not bring the seatpost because it may not be the same diameter to fit into the frame seat tube. Also, be certain to know how to remove it as the Area Manager might not be with you when you depart and you will have to remove your seat from the bike yourself.

PEDALS

Upon registration, you can choose the type of pedal you would like your bike to be equipped with. We can install either flat pedals or flat pedals with toe cages and straps. We recommend toe cages only if you have used them previously and feel comfortable with them. If you want to use clip-in pedals, please bring your own pedals and wrench. Also be certain to know how to remove pedals as the Area Manager may not be with you when you depart so you may have to remove them yourself. Our travel kit includes a 15 mm flat spanner and a 6 mm allen key with long arm. If you need a different tool to install/remove your pedals, please bring it.

GPS DATA

For the GPS enthusiasts and tech-savvies, GPS data’s (GPX format) of the routes you will take are available upon request. If you would like to use this data on a GPS, smartphone or tablet, please contact us. (When requested, GPS data is sent approximately one month prior to departure along with your final information package.)

TANDEM BIKES

In most regions we can source tandems at an additional cost. Please contact us directly for any inquiries.

KIDS BIKE

In most regions we can source bikes for kids ages 10 and up. Please contact us directly for any inquiries.

TRAIL-A-BIKE

This may be the best solution to go on a self-guided trip with children between the ages of 5 and 9 (up to 85 pounds). The trail a bike attaches to an adult bike and provides a chance for your child to ride with you. We stock the Burley Piccolo model in several regions. Please contact us directly for any inquiries.

ACCESSORIES NOT INCLUDED

HELMET

We require that you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene reasons. Although wearing a helmet is not required by law in most countries we go, we strongly encourage you to wear one. We believe that the easiest way to travel with a bike helmet is to attach the helmet to your hand luggage/day pack as carry-on luggage in order to save space in your suitcase.

ODOMETER

Our bicycles are not equipped with odometers. From our experience, we found that for the majority of our clients, (contrary to our expectations) odometers made route finding more of a challenge. Should you wish to use an odometer, please bring your own from home and attach for the duration of your trip, but please remove it afterwards. Our route descriptions indicate the distance between each instruction and the cumulative distance for the day. The distances are rounded to facilitate the reading and for indication only. There is enough additional information (type of intersection, landmark, road sign, direction…) in the instructions to find the route without knowing with precision the distance traveled since the last instruction.

PANNIERS

For insurance reasons, we are no longer able to provide panniers. If you want to use panniers for your trip and feel the handlebar bag will not offer you enough space, you are free to bring your own but please note that only the hybrid bikes have rear racks capable of holding panniers.

In regions where we do not own bikes (yet), we source the best available and these are of comparable quality standards to our own fleet.